It was a day of gun-battles in northern Kashmir Thursday as militants and forces engaged in exchange of fire in at least three places including Sopore, Baramulla and Bandipora. Two grenade blasts also took place in Sopore.
BARAMULLA
Two militants were killed andthree forces personnel injured in adaylong gunfight between militants and forces at BandiPayeen village in Kandiarea of Baramulla district on Thursday, police said.
“Two militants were killed in thegunfight, but their identity is yet to be established,” senior superintendentof police Baramulla, Abdul Qayoom, said.
The policesaid based on “specific information” about presence of militants at Nambalnarvillage, which is surrounded by deep forests and falls along the Baba Reshiarea, the army’s 29 rashtriya rifles, central reserve police force (CRPF) andpolice cordoned off the village on Wednesday evening.
“During thesearch operation, militants fired several shots and later fled from the areataking advantage of darkness,” a police official said.
The forceslater intensified the search operation and extended it to nearby villages. OnThursday morning, the official said, a contact was established with militantsnear a stream at BandiPayeen.
The militants fired at the forcesand took shelter inside an under-construction school building, he said.
As the militants were trappedinside the building, additional forces were rushed to the area. Three forces personnel were injured in the exchangeof fire, the official said.
They were immediately evacuatedto a hospital at Kreeri, where they were treated for bullet wounds.
In the evening, the forcesblasted the school building following which the guns fell silent, the officialsaid.
“The forces found two bodiesunder the debris of the building and efforts are on to ascertain theiridentity,” he said.
Meanwhile, three youths arereported to have suffered injuries during clashes at BandiPayeen.
As the clashes erupted, thepolice lobbed scores of teargas shells to quell the protests. Some injuredyouths are reported to have received pellet injuries as well, local residentssaid.
In a statement issued late onThursday evening, police said: “Based on credible inputs about the presence ofmilitants in KalantaraPayeen area of Kreeri in Baramulla district, a cordon andsearch operation was launched by police and security forces in the area”.
“As the searches were going on,the search party was fired upon by the hiding militants. The fire wasretaliated leading to an encounter. In the initial exchange of fire threesecurity force personnel sustained injuries. They have been evacuated tohospital and are undergoing treatment,” the statement read, adding: “In theensuing encounter, two militants were killed and the bodies were retrieved fromthe site of encounter. Their identities and affiliations are beingascertained.”
“Police have registered a caseand initiated investigation in the matter. Incriminating materials includingarms and ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter,” the statementread.
“Citizens are requested not toventure inside the encounter zone since such an area can prove dangerous due tostray explosive materials. People are requested to cooperate with police tillthe area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosives materials ifany”.
BANDIPORA
A militant was killed in agunfight with government forces in Hajin area of Bandipora district, the policesaid.
The body of a militant wasspotted near the house in Mir Mohalla, where the encounter took place, a policeofficial said, adding that the body hasn’t, however, yet been retrieved.
“The operation has been suspendedfor the night, but the cordon will remain intact,” he said.
He said the search operation willresume in the morning and “only then the exact picture will be clear”.
“The minor boy, who was trappedinside the house along with militants, is also yet to be rescued,” the officialsaid.
Earlier, a gunfight broke out inthe afternoon in Mir Mohalla following a massive search operation launched byforces there.
A source said the forces blastedthe second storey of the house in the evening while the first one was stillintact.
The police also claimed that themilitants held eight family members inside the house, but six of them wererescued.
Two civilians were also heldinside the house, but one of them, later identified as Hamidullah Mir—the house owner’s brother—was later rescued.
“12-year-old Aatif, the houseowner’s son, was held inside the house when its second storey was blasted. It’snot yet clear whether the boy is dead or alive,” an official said.
The police said they asked localAuqaf committee to make announcements through public address system of a localmosque to “convince militants to let go two civilians held by them inside thehouse”.
Earlier, forces launched acordon-and-search operation (CASO) in Banyari, WahabParreyMohalla and BonMohalla localities of Hajin following inputs about presence of militants,officials said.
An official said the CASO wasextended to Mir Mohalla jointly by the army’s 13 rashtriya rifles, specialoperations group of Jammu and Kashmir police and 45 battalion CRPF.
Meanwhile, mobile internetservices were suspended in district Bandipora after the encounter broke out inHajin.
Mild clashes also took place nearHajinbridge between forces and youths.
As soon as the encounter brokeout, youths came out on roads and pelted forces with stones near Hajinbridge.
“Forces fired tear smoke shellsand sound shells to disperse the protesting youth. However, there were noreports of any injury,” a witness said.
Senior superintendent of policesaid the search operation has been suspended for the night and “picture will beclear in the morning only when searches will be resumed”.
SOPORE
Two policemen including anofficer were injured after militants opened fire and hurled a grenade upon onforces during a search operation in Warpora area of Sopore, an official said.As the joint team of forces was in the process of laying siege to Warpora,militants hurled a grenade at the forces, causing injuries to station houseofficer, Dangiwacha, MuddasirGeelani and his personal security officer JavedAhmad, the official said.
They were evacuated to Srinagarfor specialised treatment, the official said.
The official said the contingentsof the army’s 22 rashtriya rifles, special operations group of Jammu andKashmir, 177 and 179 battalions of central reserve police force (CRPF) cordonedoff Warpora in the wee hours “following inputs” about presence of somemilitants in the area.
Following the grenade blast, morereinforcements were rushed to the area to intensify the searches.
The search operation in the areawas on throughout the day but the “exact contact with militants has not beenestablished yet”, the official said.
Soon after the area was cordonedoff, authorities snapped mobile internet service in the Sopore division “as aprecautionary measure”.
Earlier, clashes broke out inSopore town on Thursday morning following a separate grenade attack on a CRPFcamp at main chowk. A witness said soonafter the UBGL attack on 179 company of CRPF, stationed at old SBI building,youths appeared at main chowk and started pelting stones on forces. The forcesin turn retaliated by firing teargas shells to disperse the youths, the witnesssaid.
A youth, later identified as Irshad Ahmad Khan, a resident of Check Roday Khan near fruit mandiSopore, was injured after he was hit with a bullet splinter on his hand, the witness said. Khan was rushed to sub-district hospital Sopore, where his condition is stated to be stable, according to the block medical officer.
Ejaz-ul-Haq Bhat/Ghulam Muhammad